Atari 5200 Owner's Manual (1982)(U)

Table of Contents

1 Unpacking Your ATARI 5200 1

2 Installing the TV Antenna Switch Box 3

3 Setting Up the Console 1 1

4 Inserting a Game Cartridge 14

5 Using the 5200 Controllers 15

8 Returning Your TV Set to Television Program Viewing 1 9

7 Maintaining Your ATARI 5200 19

8 Troubleshooting Checklist

21

1. Unpacking Your ATARI 5200

Congratulations on your purchase
of one of the most exciting video
game systems availabie. We sug-
gest that you read this Owner’s
Manual thoroughiy before setting
up your ATARI 5200.

NOTE: Read this manual care-
fully, and completely set up your
ATARI 5200 before plugging In
the power adapter.

When you remove your ATARI
5200 from the box, you will have:

• 5200 Console Unit

• SUPER BREAKOUT™ Game
Cartridge

• Two 5200 Controllers

• TV Antenna Switch Box

• Power Adapter

• 300 OHM to 75 OHM TV
Switch Box Adapter

1

2. Installing the TV Antenna Switch Box

The TV Antenna Switch Box is
easy to attach to the VHP anten-
na terminal on the tiack of your
television set, Carefully inspect
the antenna connection at the
back of your television set to
determine whether your present
antenna is 300 ohms (flat twin-
lead wire) or 75 ohms (round
cable ).

Follow the instructions (para-
graphs A through F) which most
closely apply to your television
set antenna. If your television set
is 300 ohms, you will need a flat-
blade screwdriver to install the
switch box. THE TV SWITCH
BOX ADAPTER IS NOT NECES-
SARY IF YOUR TELEVISION SET
IS 75 OHMS.

UHF

® S

VHf

® 8

@

300 OHM 75 OHM

CAUTION: Do not use this TV
Antenna Switch Box with any
unit other than the 5200. Severe
damage to the unit can result If
this Switch Box is used with any
other unit.

3

A. Television Set with VHP Screws and Twin-lead Wire
Antenna:

1. Disconnect the twin-lead 2. Connect the twin-lead wire on

antenna wire from the back of the Switch Box Adapter to the

your television set. VHP screw terminals on your

television set.

3. Connect the antenna cable on
the TV Antenna Switch Box to
the 75 ohm connector on tne
Switch Box Adapter. Securely
tighten the connection,

4. Connect the television twin-
lead antenna wire to the 300
OHM connector on the TV
Antenna Switch Box.

4

B. Television with U-Shaped Slider Switch and
Twin-lead Wire:

1. Disconnect the twin-lead
antenna wire from the VHF
screw terminals. Move the
U-shaped slider to the right to
make a connection between
the two screws.

2. Connect the twin-lead wire on
the Switch Box Adapter to the
VHF antenna screws on the
back of your television set.

3. Connect the television twin-
lead wire to the 300 OHM con-
nector on the TV Antenna
Switch Box.

4. Connect the antenna cable on
the TV Antenna Switch Box to
the cylinder-shaped 75 ohm
connector on the Switch Box
Adapter.

5

C. Television with 75 OHM/300 OHM Slide Switch and
Twin-Lead Wire:

1 . Disconnect the twin-lead 2. Slide the switch to the 300

antenna wire from the VHF OHM position and foliow

screw terminais. steps B-2 through B-4.

D. Television with a Short Round Cable and
Twin-lead Wire:

NOTE: For some teievisions, the
75 OHM connector may not work
correctiy. If this is the case, no
piaylield will appear after you in-
sert a cartridge and press the
POWER switch on the consoie.
To correct this problem, simply
treal your television as though It
is 300 ohms. Then follow steps
A, B, C, or D.

1 . Connect the short round cable
to the cable connector provid-
ed next to it on your television
set. Then follow steps B-2
through B-4.

6

E. Television with 75 OHM Antenna Cable and
VHP Screws:

1. Disconnect the antenna cable
from the cable connector or
impedance-matching adapter
(balun) on the back of your
television set.

2. Connect the antenna cable on
the TV Antenna Switch Box to
the cable connector on your
television set or the
impedance-matching adapter.
Securely tighten the connection.

3. Connect the antenna cable on
your television set to the 75
OHM connector on the TV
Antenna Switch Box.

7

F. Television with Round Antenna Cable and
No VHF Screws:

Disconnect the round antenna
cable from your television set.

2. Connect the antenna cable on
the TV Antenna Switch Box to
the 75 ohm (cylinder-shaped)
connector on the back of the
television set.

3. Connect the television anten-
na cable to the 75 OHM con-
nector on the TV Antenna
Switch Box.

8

Plugging In the Game Cable

sole unit into the TV Antenna
Switch Box GAME connector.

Excess cable can be wrapped
around the cable wrap on the
bottom of the console unit.

9

The TV Antenna Switch Box can
be left attached to your televi-
sion set without interfering with
television program viewing or
reception.

To attach the TV Antenna Switch
Box permanently to the back of
your television set:

Peel off the protective paper
on the back of the TV Antenna
Switch Box.

Stick the TV Antenna Switch
Box onto any clear area near
the antenna terminals on the
back of your television set.

On the bottom, right side of the
TV Antenna Switch Box, you will
notice a switch labeled
STANDBY/NORMAL The NOR-
MAL position is the correct posi-
tion during regular use of your

ATARI 5200. Changing this
switch to the STANDBY position
allows you to view regular televi-
sion programs while the 5200 is
still on. This feature allows you
to save a high score on the
screen. It also allows a game to
continue running or the com-
puter to take its turn while you
watch television. To return to the
game playfield, simply move the
switch back to the NORMAL
position.

Extra TV Antenna Switch
Boxes

If you attach a TV Antenna
Switch Box to each television set
in your home, you will be able to
move your ATARI 5200 from room
to room. Extra TV Switch Boxes
are available through your local
ATARI dealer.

10

3. Setting Up The Console

1. Peel off the protective coating
on the top of the console unit.

2. Check the channel selector
switch on the back, left side
of the console to be sure it is
set to • .

3. Set your television set chan-
nei selector to Channel 3. If
Channel 3 is broadcasting in
your area, set the television
channel selector switch to
Channel 2 and change the
channel selector switch on
the console unit to ■.

11

4. Insert the Power Adapter
cable jack Into the POWER
plug on the TV Switch Box,

WARNING: Verify that the
Game Cable is plugged Into
the TV Switch Box before
plugging the Power Adapter
into the TV Switch Box.

5. Plug the Power Adapter into
any convenient 120-volt AC
electrical wall outlet.

IMPORTANT: Use Only the
Power Adapter packed with
your ATARI 5200. Use of any
other power supply could
damage the console unit.

12

6. Turn your television set on
and set the volume control to
a comlortable level,

7. Press the POWER ON/OFF
switch on the lower right side
of the console to ON. A red
light (LED) glows when the
POWER is ON. When the
POWER is OFF, the Switch
Box automatically switches
back to regular television
viewing.

NOTE: Always turn the POWER
OFF Vi/hen the game is not in
use.

8. if your television set has an
automatic fine-tuning control,
turn it off and manually fine-
tune for the best picture.
However, if your television set
will not receive color unless
the automatic fine-tuning is
on, leave it on.

9. Plug the 5200 controllers into
the controller jacks on the
front of the console unit. Use
jack 1 lor one-player games;
use jacks 1 and 2 for two-
player games. For three and
four-player games, you will
need to purchase an addi-
tional set of 5200 controllers.
Plug the second set of 5200
controllers into jacks 3 and 4.
(See also USING THE 5200
CONTROLLERS.)

13

4. Inserting a Game Cartridge

1. Hold the game cartridge so
the name on the label faces
you and reads right-side-up.

2. Carefully insert the game car-
tridge into the cartridge slot in
the 5200 console. Be sure the
cartridge fits firmly into the
slot but DO NOT FORCE IT IN.

3. Press the console POWER
ON/OFF switch. A bright,
colorful ATARI logo will ap-
pear on your television screen,
followed by the game play-
field.

14

5. Using the 5200 Controllers

The ATARI 5200 includes two
5200 controllers. These new con-
trollers allow you to move the
play pieces in any direction on
the screen— right, left, up, down,
diagonaliy, and ali around.

Plug the controllers into the
jacks on the front of the console
unit. Each jack is numbered. Use
jack 1 for one-player games; use
jacks 1 and 2 for two-player
games. The jack is designed to
fit oniy one way. Be sure the con-
nection is firm, but do not try to
force it.

Some of the controller functions
vary with different games. Be
sure to check the appropriate
game instructions for the dif-
ferent controller functions.

15

Each controller has two fire but-
tons on either side. The bottom
buttons are the fire buttons for
all games. The top buttons are
used for different functions
depending on the particular
game. Again, see the specific
game instructions for the dif-
terent controller functions. The
right or the left fire button can
be used, whichever is more com-
fortable for you.

The START. PAUSE, and RESET
buttons on the controllers per-
form the following functions:

lilfJSIl Press START to begin
game play.

Press PAUSE to stop all
game action for an inter-
mission. This feature
allows you to leave the
game without interrup-
ting the game or score.
Press PAUSE again
when you are ready to
resume the game.

13^31 Press RESET only when
you want to start the
game over from the
beginning.

The # controller button and the
♦ controller button are used to
select ditferent game options.
Again, refer to the particular
game instructions for further
details.

16

Keypad Overlays

All game cartridges come with
two keypad overlays. The over-
lays fit directly over the keypad
buttons to indicate the keypad
functions. These functions may
vary from game to game. Again,
refer to the particular game in-
structions for more Information.

17

Controller Storage

When not in use, store the 5200
controllers Inside the consote
unit as foltows:

Unptug the 5200 controllers
from the jacks on the front of the
console.

Wind the controller
cable around the
joystick. Open the
smoke-colored controller storage
area at the top of the console.

Place the controllers face down Gently close the cover to the
(head-to-head) in the storage controller storage area,
area.

ia

6. Returning Your TV Set to Television Program Viewing

• Press the console POWER • If you turned off the automatic

switch to OFF. The TV Anten- fine-tuning, turn it back on.
na Switch Box automatically
switches back to program
viewing.

7. Maintaining Your ATARI 5200

Your ATARI 5200 will bring you
many years of enjoyment. To
keep it in good working condi-
tion, please remember the
following;

• Always turn the POWER
switch OFF when you are not
using the ATARI 5200.

• Do not try to force the game
cartridge Into the cartridge
slot.

• Take care not to spill liquids
on the console, cartridges, or
controllers.

• Do not lift the 5200 console or
the 5200 controllers by the
connecting wires. You could
bend or crimp the wires and
break the internal insulation.

• Be careful not to drop the con-
sole. controllers, or game car-
tridges on hard surfaces.

• Do not expose the console,
controllers, or game cartridges
to extreme or excessive heat.

• Do not use any power adapter
other than the Power Adapter
packed with your ATARI 5200.

You could damage the elec-
tronic components in the con-
sole unit.

• Unplug the Power Adapter
from the electrical outlet when
it is not in use.

• Do not use any TV switch box
other than the TV Antenna
Switch Box packed with your
ATARI 5200. You could
damage the electronic com-
ponents in the console unit,

• Clean the exterior surface of
the console with a soft, slight-
ly damp cloth (use water only).

NOTE: Your ATARI 5200 is
engineered to eliminate phosphor
memory or "burn in" of the
playfield and score digits on your
television screen. We suggest,
however, these precautions:

• Turn down the contrast of your
television set.

• Turn the ATARI 5200 OFF
when not in use.

19

Compliance with FCC Regulations

To comply with Federal Com-
munications Commission* (FCC)
regulations and to keep your
ATARI 5200 from interfering with
television reception on nearby
television sets, please observe
the following;

Do not install a longer antenna
cable from the TV Antenna
Switch Box to the antenna
connection on your television
set. The antenna cable sup-
plied on the TV Antenna
Switch Box is the right length
and complies with FCC regula-
tions.

Do not connect the antenna
output cable on your TV
Switch Box directly to any
television antenna or Cable TV
outlet.

Do not attach loose wires to
your television antenna ter-
minals when you are using the
ATARI 5200.

• This equipment generates and uses
radio frequency energy, and if it Is not in-
stalled properly, it may cause interference
to radio and television reception. It has
been typo tested and found to comply
with the limits for a Class B computing
device in accordance with the specifica-
tions in Subparl J of part t5of FCC
Rules, which aio designed to provide rea-
sonable protection against such inter-
ference in a lestdenlial installation. If this
equipment does cause interference to
radio or television reception, which can
be determined by turning the equipment
oM and on. try to correct the interference
by one or more of the following methods;

• reorient the receiving antenna.

• relocate the computer with respect to
the receiver.

• move the computer into a different
outlet so that the computer and
receiver are on different branch cir-
cuits.

If necessary, consult the dealer or an ex-
perienced radio/lelevision technician lor
adddional suggestions. You may find Ihe
follov/ing booklet prepared by the Federal
Communications Commission helplul:
"How to Identily and Resolve Radio-TV
Inlerlerence Problems."

This booklel is available from Ihe US
Government Printing Office. Washington.
DC 20402. Slock No. 004.C00 00345-4.

20

8. Troubleshooting Checklist

The following list of symptoms,
causes, and remedies Is supplied
to help you troubleshoot any
possible problems in setting up
your ATARI 5200. Always discon-
nect the Power Adapter before
checking any electrical connec-
tions.

Symptom

ATARI logo and playfield image
do not appear on the screen.

Probable Cause
and Remedy

• Console POWER switch not ON.

• Game cable not properly plugged
into TV Antenna Switch Box.

• Power jack not connected to
the console.

• Connection on 75 OHM televi-
sion not functioning. Change
to 300 OHM using the Switch
Box Adapter.

• TV Antenna Switch Box not
correctly connected to televi-
sion antenna.

• Game cartridge not properly
inserted.

• Power Adapter not plugged
into wall outlet.

• Interference on Channel 3.
Change console channel selector
switch to ■ and change tele-
vision channel selector to 2.

Symptom

• No regular television program
viewing.

Probable Cause • Television antenna not correctly

and Remedy connected to tv Switch Box.

21

Symptom

• Game picture and playfield are
fuzzy or the sounds are distorted.

Probable Cause
and Remedy

• TV Antenna Switch Box not
correctiy connected to tele-
vision antenna.

• Teievision set not fine-tuned
for the best picture. Make sure
the automatic fine-tuning is off
and manualiy fine-tune for the
best picture. However, if your
teievision receives color only
when the fine-tuning is on,
leave it on.

• interference on Channel 3.

Change console channel selector
switch to ■. and change televi-
sion channel selector to 2.

Symptom

• No game sounds.

Probable Cause
and Remedy

• Turn up the volume on your
television set.

22

CO 19277 U.S.A.

A

ATARI® -

A Wvner Corrvnuniealtom Company CS ..

ATARI, INC.. Consumer Division
P.O. Box 427. Sunnyvale, CA 94086

© 1982 ATARI, INC.

All Rights Reserved Printed in U.S.A.